Feroce eyeing score on hardwood with Sky Chiefs

Executives of Rhode Island’s newest professional sports team, the Providence Sky Chiefs LLC, are dreaming big. They envision an organization that one day can match the success, stability and popularity of the Pawtucket Red Sox and Providence Bruins, despite joining a league with a high flameout rate.
Sean Holley, vice president of corporate partnerships and business development, says he sees the American Basketball Association team, launched by Giovanni Feroce, former CEO of Alex and Ani LLC, becoming Rhode Island’s signature professional basketball club, on a par with the well-established Providence Bruins and Pawtucket Red Sox.
“Providence has had some supreme-level pro baseball, hockey and soccer. However, with basketball being a premier sport in the Greater Providence region, there has been a glaring void for pro basketball,” Holley said.
The startup employs 18 people, including 12 players. The team also hires local professionals on a per-diem basis for home games, including an announcer, videographer, photographer and disc jockey. The team has also launched an internship program for college students looking to gain experience in sports management. Survival is likely dependent upon corporate partnership, which Sky Chief executives say they’re in the process of securing with groups throughout Rhode Island and New England.
So far, the team has connected with Brass Monkey restaurant and RI Local.
“We’re in conversations with a number of businesses in the area and we’re pleased with the interest,” Holley said.
The Sky Chiefs came to fruition earlier this year shortly after the folding of the Providence Anchors LLC, which started and ended within months without playing a single game. The Anchors were not allowed to stay in the league after the team’s CEO and owner, Abdur Shabazz, failed to meet standards set by ABA CEO Ron Tilley.
“That Providence team didn’t get going because of its inability to follow the high level of standards I’ve set for the league,” Tilley told Providence Business News. On April 21, the R.I. Secretary of the State’s Office revoked the Anchors’ certificate of incorporation after receiving a $250 bounced check from Shabazz, according to corporate records filed with the state.
The Anchors’ abbreviated stint in the league, however, is indicative of a larger trend seen throughout the ABA. Despite a 10 percent yearly increase of teams, to 80 this year, in the league over the last 10 years, franchise turnover – sometimes happening midway through seasons – is prevalent.
But Tilley – who recently took over as CEO – says he has a plan to create constancy.
“One of my initiatives is to bring stability to the league through the teams and one way of doing that is through getting strong owners like Giovanni,” Tilley said.
ESPN, this year, entered into a multiyear contract with the ABA, which Tilley called another optimistic step forward for the league.
“We continue to develop by growing partnerships with groups like ESPN,” Tilley said.
Holley, who stressed the fact that the Sky Chiefs are “in no way” connected with the Anchors, echoed Tilley’s sentiment, saying there are reasons why teams disappear.
“Most teams that falter don’t have the infrastructure for a team, but we have the brilliant business mind of Giovanni,” Holley said.
Feroce is well-known in Rhode Island. The former Army reserve major served as a state senator and state lottery commissioner, along with a four-year stint as an executive at the jewelry giant Alex and Ani, headquartered in Cranston.
Feroce thinks Providence is a “natural place for a professional basketball product.” His business model, he says, is based on a strong consumer base supported by key partnerships with Rhode Island-based companies.
“My hope is that in the future I can make an arena our permanent home, therefore investing in a top-level fan experience to include contests, a light show, music, mascot, etc.,” Feroce said. “I also will cross-pollinate all of my assets to help build the fan base and hope to have word-of-mouth really do the heavy lifting, because at the end of the day it is a really exciting game and people enjoy it. The fact it is priced right and one can take the whole family, makes it all the more fun and likely to succeed.” Feroce declined to comment on how much it cost to own a franchise, or join the league. When asked whether he was concerned with the league’s high flameout rate, Feroce said he’s been working with Tilley to try and combat the problem.
“My hope is we dramatically cut down on the number of teams and only have thriving organizations earn the honor of being an ABA team while the remainder can be part of some other league, either within the larger ABA or independent all together,” Feroce said.
The name “Sky Chiefs” isn’t random. Feroce recently bought the watch brand Benrus and launched Benrus LLC, which he’s transforming into a lifestyle brand. The Benrus Watch Company, decades ago, was famous for its timepieces specifically made for pilots. The “Sky Chief” model was the official watch of pilots who flew during World War II.
The original American Basketball Association started in 1967 and ended after it merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976. The current incarnation of the league began in 1999.
This year the league has 1,200 players and more than 200 coaches. It promotes a high-paced, high-scoring style of basketball and, like its predecessor, stands apart with its conspicuous red, white and blue ball and a set of quirky rules.
“It’s an exciting brand of basketball,” Tilley said.
The Sky Chiefs will play a 30-game regular season with 17 home games. For now, the team – coached by Kyle Ivey-Jones – will play its home games at the Rhode Island College Murray Center.
Holley points out that the team isn’t just a business, but also provides an opportunity for players to showcase their talents.
“We’re really giving these players a chance to better themselves and better their lives,” Holley said. “It’s bigger than the game.” •

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